Top 10 Basic Cooking Hacks You Should Start Using

Top 10 Basic Cooking Hacks You Should Start Using

Architecture & Design: Top 10 Basic Cooking Hacks You Should Start Using

Wise
old women will tell you that the way to a man’s heart is through his
stomach, but any experienced man will also tell you that one of the best
ways to impress a lady is to cook for her. We all need some kitchen
skills, from young students living alone to moms and dads feeding their
family. If scientists are to be believed, our food choices are even linked to our character.
While some may be naturally gifted, or have had the pleasure of growing
up with some talented cooks who were happy to give them a few pointers
along the way, there are a lot of people out there who shy away from the
kitchen because they find cooking complicated, and even a little bit
confusing.

Fortunately, there are tons of great
little tricks that can help anyone greatly improve their cooking game,
and perhaps get a few people interested in further developing their
skills. Here is a run-down of some of the most useful cooking hacks that
can benefit everyone, regardless of skill level.

1. Put ice cream in a bag before putting it in the freezer

Ice
cream can get rock hard in the freezer and it takes ages to thaw out
just enough that you can eat it. A simple trick to keep it just the
right consistency is to put the container in a plastic zip lock bag
before throwing it in the freezer.

2. Freeze a banana to use as base for a healthy ice cream

When
frozen and then mashed up, bananas create a perfect creamy ice cream
base that you can be mixed with other fruit and various toppings to
create a super-healthy home-made ice cream.

3. Mix pancake batter in a plastic bag to save time and make less of a mess

A
zip lock bag or a pastry bag can be used to mix up pancake batter. Make
sure to make a small cut in a corner of the plastic bag if you don’t
have a pastry bag. You have to clean up less afterwards, and you can
make some very creative shapes.

4. Cut softer foods using a dental floss

Things
can get messy if you are cutting a particularly large cake and only
have a small knife, but even things like cheese and Swiss rolls can be
difficult to cut precisely. You can use dental floss to make quick and
precise cuts and avoid the trouble.

5. Cook up enough food for several days on Sunday and store it in the fridge

You
can spend a couple of hours on a lazy Sunday and cook up enough frozen
veggies, chicken, fish, steak, rice, baked potatoes or whatever else you
like to eat, and store the food in plastic containers. Mix it up, and
you will have quick meals ready to go for the next few days or the entire week.

People
often view pancakes as a dirty pleasure, but you can make healthy and
diet-friendly pancakes using protein powder, almond milk, oat flower,
different fruit and other healthy ingredients.

7. Freeze a fresh herb mixture in olive oil to add to your meals

If
you are the kind of person who likes to add fresh herbs to meals, you
can stock up on herbs, chopped them up, put them in ice cube tray, cover them in olive oil and freeze them. Next time you are cooking something, just drop a cube in and have yourself a treat.

8. Dry out herbs in the microwave

For
a more permanent storage solution, you can buy a bunch of herbs at the
flea market – make your own unique blend of herbs – and then dry them
out in the microwave. Put them in for 20 second intervals, and keep
turning them over until they are completely dry, at which point you can
crush them up.

9. Throw a slice of apple in with baked treats to keep them soft and moist

Baked
treats tend to get fairly dry and don’t taste so good after a while. A
good way to combat this is to keep them in a plastic container with an
apple slice, which will help them preserve moisture and stay yummy for
much longer.

10. Let you eggs sit in the fridge for a few days if you want them to peel easily

You can use a spoon to help you peel fresh eggs more quickly

Boiled
eggs are sometimes notoriously difficult to peel, but that’s just fresh
eggs. Week old eggs are perfectly fine to eat, but they are incredibly
easy to peal, so make sure you buy eggs well in advance and let them sit
in the fridge for a while before boiling them.

If
you are making a salad and need to chop a whole bunch of cherry
tomatoes in half, just trap them between two plates and slice through
them with a knife. You can slice a dozen or more of them in one clean
movement.

Make sure to arm yourself with these great
cooking hacks, as well as a little bit of patience, and you will soon
become the master of your kitchen, cooking up decent meals and flaunting
your new-found skill in front of others.